Danish Air Ambulance

Model Airplane News, Jan 2006 by Delaney, Simon

This very attractive Kramme and Zeuthe KZ IV twin-engine transport-plane model was designed and built by Mike Trew of Trowbridge in Wiltshire, England. Only two full-size examples of the KZ IV were built by the Danish. In 1944, German occupying forces gave Denmark permission to build the first as an air ambulance. OY-D IZ was nicknamed "Folke Bernadette" after the Swedish peace negotiator who used it as a courier plane in 1945 when he flew to Germany to negotiate the release of Danish and Norwegian prisoners from concentration camps. Besides being a great-looking competition subject, the KZ IV also has quite an important piece of Danish WW II history attached to it.

The 1/5-scale model has a 126-inch wingspan and weighs about 26.5 pounds. It is fitted with two Laser .80 4-stroke engines that provide more than enough power. Futaba radio gear is used throughout, and Mike included a fully detailed cockpit and cabin interior and a neat, working, rear entry door that reveals a fully carpeted cargo area complete with a scale head liner. Built using traditional methods of balsa and ply over ribs and formers, the KZ IV has a silk-over-tissue finish that Mike sprayed with enamel paint. Mike also made all of the scale plugs and moldings for the engine cowls and the landing-gear fairings himself.

A member of the Boscombe Down Club, Mike took a year to build the plane and had only six flights with it before he entered it in the British National F4C Scale Competition, in which he placed seventh. He earned the third highest static score and missed second place by only ½ point-not bad for a first outing. Mike says that the plane is quite straightforward to fly and that it lands slowly because of its very effective flaps.